Sun Lakes Rotary January Update

Phyllis Carr

As we prepared this Splash article for the January edition, we considered all of the many challenges of 2020, but chose to focus on the many wonders of making the best of a bad situation. Our weekly meetings have brought laughter and some tears, as members have shared their “Happy/Sad Dollars” related to the dynamics of our daily lives. We are fortunate in being able to maintain consistency in our meetings and communication with our members.

If you are new to the area or new to Rotary, we would love to have you join us for one of our Tuesday meetings, alternating between morning and evening to allow for diverse schedules. Be sure to check our web page, sunlakesrotary.com, for a calendar of meetings and events and a link to our 2020 speakers, including Michael Crow from ASU and Gilbert Mayor Scott Anderson.

In November and December, we recognized “Teachers of the Month” Katherine Barton from Basha Elementary and Lisa King from Weinberg Gifted Elementary, each receiving a $500 check from a combination of Trust Bank, Earnhardt Automotive, and The Sun Lakes Rotary. These teachers reflect the very heart of dedication to their profession, as they face the challenges of safely teaching during a pandemic. We congratulate and honor their work to reach all students to the best of their ability during these difficult times.

“Christmas for San Marcos Elementary” was an opportunity for Sun Lakes Rotary to partner with the Clothes Cabin to provide a sweatshirt and a pair of Bombas socks for every student—390 in total! Bill and Val Crump organized the event and used their house to “stage and organize” all 390 sweatshirts by size, gender, and classroom, delivering them to the school the last week in December. An amazing job by the Crumps!

December included a holiday party like no other. In making the decision to meet through Zoom, the Holiday Party Committee, headed by Paula Floth, prepared and delivered an event to be remembered. Scott Faver MC’d the event, which included a Rotary version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, which was creative, to say the least. Mark Stapels won the ugly sweater contest hands down, and the most Christmassy Couple was Bill and Val Crump.

Vice President Stephen Phair provided bottles of libation for the winners of the Jeopardy game, along with many laugh-out-loud moments over questionable answers. Peter Meade was recognized for being the member on the most committees, and he presented Club President Jon Lyons a gift card for the work he has done to keep Rotary members connected and informed through a challenging year. We all appreciate Jon’s dedication as he embraced and led the club on each new issue.

Be sure to read the story about our annual golf tournament, which this year took up the challenge of doing online auction items and safely-distanced golf teams.

Rotary continues in its mission to address polio eradication internationally and promote education locally.

Our guiding principles in Rotary are:

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?